Animal operated watering device

ABSTRACT

Animal operated watering device of the &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;nipple valve&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; type in which the movable valve element is in the form of a thin flat disc of elastomeric material and the device is so constructed and arranged as to be actuatable by tilting of the valve operating member as well as to upward movement thereof.

United States Patent 1 n 11 3,756,199

Clark, IV Sept. 4, 1973 [541' ANlMAL OPERATED WATERING DEVICE 3,550,560l2/l970 Eostrom ll9/72i5 [75] Inventor: Reuben B. Clark, IV, Daylesford,Pa.

. Primary Examiner-Robert Peshoek [73] Asslgnee ggz gs zg gg AssistantExaminer.l. A. Oliff p Attorney-D. C. Roylance et al. [22] Filed: Apr.17, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 244,461 [57] ABSTRACT [52] U S Cl 119/72 5 Animaloperated watering device of the nipple valve [51] In} .0 01k 7/60 yp inwhich the movable valve element is in the form 58] Fie'ld 5 75 of a thinflat disc of elastomeric: material and the device is so constructed andarranged as to be actuatable by [56] References Cited tilting of thevalve operating member as well as to upward movement thereof. UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 3,602,197 8/1971 Fioretto 119/725 4 Claims, 6 DrawingFigures I 5 1o 1 25 n BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many poultry growershave long preferred to employ waterers of the general type employing awater supply member, usually a long conduit arranged generallyhorizontally, to which are attached a plurality of valves which can beoperated by the birds to provide a small quantity of water whenever thebird pushes with its beak on the operating member of the valve. Commonlyreferred to as nipple valves, the valves for such waterers are quitesmall, typically on the order of 1 in. in maximum dimension, the smallsize being dictated by the inherent dimensional parameters of thewatering system. Though prior-art workers have given much attention tosuch waterers, a number of problems, which stem particularly from thesmall size of the valve and the relatively low hydrostatic headsavailable in such systems, have seriously limited the success of suchdevices.

To be truly satisfactory, such waterers must be inexpensive, dependablyoperable by the birds to be watered, essentially free from tendencies toclog or stick as a result of foreign matter in the water, and capable ofproviding a relatively constant low fully open" flow over a fairly widerange of hydrostatic head values. Typically, such devices should exhibita fully open flow of 2-5 oz. per min. over a range of hydrostatic headvalues up to 6 ft. And the device must be easily operated, by the beakof the bird, to provide water, yet must close positively and dependablyeach time the bird withdraws its beak, such a closure depending uponhydrostatic forces aided by the small weight of the movable portions ofthe device. Since such weight is on the order of 1-2 grams, a typicaldiameter for a valve seat of such devices is less than 0.1 in., and themanufacturer's price for the valve should be less than 25 cents it willbe re c-,

ognized that the problems of satisfying the needs of poultry growersdesiring to. use such waterers are severe.

Prior-art workers have proposed many watering devices of this generaltype, the state of the art being indicated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,918,566,2,307,220, 2,541,369, 2,851,007, 3,128,745 and 3,418,977, French Pat,No. 1,512,977 and German Utility Model No. 6,914,521. Though suchdevices have achieved commercial acceptance to a considerable extent,the need for lower cost of manufacture and increased dependability inoperation, with particularemphasis on positive closing of the valveoverlong periods of use despite the low hydrostatic heads involved, havepresented a continuing need for improvement.

OBJECTS OF- THE INVENTION A general object of the invention is to devisea watera Another object is to provide such a valve embodying H a verysimple movable valve element which can be manufactured satisfactorilydespite its very small size.

A further objectis to devise a poultry waterer of the,

nipple valve type which will be dependably operable under conditionswhere other .valves .have been de feated by dirt particles and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Watering devices according to the inventioncomprise a generally tubular upright body with a transverse annularfixed valve seat located intermediate the ends thereof; a movable valveelement in the form of a thin flat disc of polymeric material locatedabove the valve seat, there being a passage portion below the valve seatwhich opens upwardly therethrough and which has a transverse annularupwardly facing shoulder therebelow; a valve operatingmember comprisingan enlarged head portion disposed in the passage portion below the seatand a stern portion extending downwardly below the body; and combinedflow restrictor and filter means located in the body means at a locationspaced above the movable valve member. Advantageously, the restrictorand filter means includes a movable member having an enlarged headportion, engaged with the upper face of the valve element disc, and anelongated stem projecting upwardly to pass freely through an inletorifice provided by a fixed restrictor member at the upper end of thebody. The thin valve element disc is then engaged between the respectivehead portions of the operating member and the movable restrictor memberwhenever the operating member is manipulated to open the valve.

In order that the manner in which the foregoing and other objects areachieved according to the invention can be understood in detail, aparticularly advantageous embodiment thereof will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings, which form part of the originaldisclosure of this application, and wherein: a

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view, with some parts shown in sideelevation, of a poultry wateringdevice according to the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are transverse sectional views taken respectively on lines22 and 33, FIG. 11;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view show ing amodified formof body meansuseful in the device of, FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing movable partstofthe device of FIG. I in a valve open position; and

FIG. 6is aview similar to FIG. 5 butshowing the movable parts in anothervalve open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings; the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a body means, indicatedgenerallyat land including the tubu lar main body2and a valve seatmember 3; amovable member, such as a substantially horizontal-pipe8,FIG. 1, withtheupper end of the through:passagecommuni eating withtheinterior of the water supply member and the lower end. of the passagelocated outside of and below the water supply member. Typically, body 2is sealingly engaged in anopening 9, FIG. 1, in the supply member andcan be secured by threads, asindicated in FIG. 1, or by other suitablemeans.

a In this embodiment, body 2 isof rigid polymeric ma terial, the through:passage includes a rightcylindric al portion 10, FIG. 1, which extendsfrom the upper end of the body downwardly through most of the length ofthe body, and the seat member 3 is an annular metal member engaged inthe cylindrical passage portion 10, as by a press fit. Seat member 3presents a flat transverse annular valve seat 11 which faces toward theupper end of the body, is radially relatively narrow, and which liesimmediately adjacent to the wall of cylindrical passage portion 10. Seatmember 3 defines a first lower passage portion 12 and a second lowerpassage portion 13, both being bounded by right cylindrical walls whichare mutually coaxial and also coaxial with passage portion 10. The firstlower passage portion 12 opens upwardly through valve seat 11, the upperend of passage portion 12 defining the central opening of valve seat 11.The second lower passage portion 13 is of significantly smaller diameterthan passage portion 12 and joins that passage portion at a transverseannular upwardly facing shoulder 14.

Operating member 4 is of metal and comprises an enlarged rightcylindrical head portion 15 and an elongated cylindrical stem portion16. Head portion 15 has a diameter slightly smaller than that of thefirst lower passage portion 12. The diameter of stem portion 16 isslightly smaller than that of the second lower passage portion 13. Headportion 15 presents a flat transverse annular downwardly facing shoulder17 capable of flush engagement with shoulder 14. The axial length ofhead portion 15 is slightly less than that of the first lower passageportion 12 so that, when shoulder 17 engages shoulder 14, the flat upperface 18 of head portion 15 is slightly below the plane of valve seat 11.The length of stem portion 16 is such that, when shoulder 17 is engagedwith shoulder 14, stem portion 16 projects well beyond the lower end ofbody 2.

Movable valve element is in the form of a thin flat circular disc ofpolymeric material. For best results, disc 5 is formed of elastomericmaterial, silicone rubber having a Durometer of about 25 beingparticularly advantageous. In a device in which body 2 is, e.g., 35 inchin length, disc 5 can be approximately l/32 inch in thickness and have atypical diameter of about 3/16 inch. Disc 5 can be considered as a waferwhich can be produced simply by being sliced from the end of acylindrical rod of silicone rubber. Thus, the discs can be produced veryrapidly and at minimum cost, yet will be within closely held dimensionaltolerance.

Seat member 3 is located intermediate the ends of the through passagedefined by body 2 and occupies a position such that a major portion ofright cylindrical passage portion is above valve seat 11. The fixedrestrictor member 6 is inserted into the upper end of the throughpassage and comprises a tubular main body 21 and a transverse annularoutwardly projecting end flange 22, body 21 being embraced by the wallof passage 10 in press fit relation, and flange 22 being in flushengagement with the upper end face of body 2. Member 6 also includes atransverse annular inwardly pro jecting flange 23, the upper face ofwhich is a continuation of the transverse end surface presented byflange 22. Flange 23 defines a short right cylindrical surface 24. Belowflange 23, body 21 defines a cylindrical passage portion which has adiameter significantly larger than that of surface 24. At its lower end,the internal wall of body 21 is outwardly flared, opening into theenlarged chamber defined by the cylindrical wall of passage portion 10between members 3 and 6.

Movable restrictor member 7 is of metal and includes an enlarged rightcylindrical head portion 25 and an elongated cylindrical stem portion26, head portion 25 being located between movable valve element 5 andthe lower end of body 21, and stem portion 26 extending upwardly throughmember 6. Head portion 25 has a flat lower face 27, FIG. 6, is ofsmaller diameter than head portion 15 of member 4, and has an axiallength which is shorter than the axial space between valve seat 1 1 andthe lower end of body 21 by 2-3 times the thickness of valve element 5.Accordingly, when surface 27 of head portion 25 is engaged with theupper face of valve element 5, the combination of valve element 5 andhead portion 25 of restrictor member 7 can be moved upwardly, away fromvalve seat 1 1, a substantial distance before head portion 25 engagesthe fixed restrictor member 6.

The diameter of cylindrical surface 24 is only slightly larger than thatof stem portion 26 so that, though stem portion 26 passes freely throughthe opening defined by surface portion 24, there is only a smallclearance. Thus, the difference between the two diameters can be in therange of 0.0040.0l in. Accordingly, the combination of elements 6 and 7serves not only to restrict the flow through the device to apredetermined small value but also as a self-cleaning filter to preventfouling of the device.

As shown in FIG. 4, the valve seat member can be integral with the body,so that seat 1 la is then of the same rigid polymeric material as is theremainder of body 2a.

Advantageously, elements 4 and 7 are of stainless steel, with headportions 15 and 25 formed very inexpensively by conventional coldforming techniques. Body 2 can be of any rigid polymeric material havinglow water absorption characteristics and high dimensional stability.Assuming that body 2 is formed from a polymeric material having lowfriction characteristics, the fixed restrictor member 6 can be of thesame material. Altemately, member 6 can be of brass.

OPERATION In a typical installation, the water supply member 8 can be asubstantially horizontal pipe connected to a source of water such thatthe level of water is maintained above the upper end face of member 6.When a bird pushes upwardly on stem portion 16 of member 4, member 4 ismoved upwardly relative to seat member 3 so that, as will be clear fromFIG. 5, the upper face of head portion 15 comes into engagement with thelower surface of the central portion of valve element 5. At this stage,valve element 5 is engaged between head portion 15 of member 4 and headportion 25 of member 7. Further upward movement of member 4 causes thecombination of element 5 and member 7 to move upwardly so that the valveelement 5 is displaced upwardly from seat 11. Water from pipe 8 havingentered via the annular space between surface 24 and stem portion 26,there will be a flow as indicated by the arrows in F IG. 5. Thus, waterflows downwardly around the periphery of valve element 5 andsuccessively through the passage portions 12 and 13. Since there areonly small clearances between head portion 15 and the surrounding wallof passage portion 12, and between stem 16 and the surrounding wall ofpassage portion 13, only a small amount of water is allowed to flowthrough member 3, and this small amount tends to trickle down thesurface of stem 16, thus being presented to the bird.

lf, instead of pushing member 4 upwardly, the bird pushes laterally onstem 16, member 4 will be tilted relative to seat member 3, so that theupper face 18, FIG. 6, of head portion is tilted into engagement withthe lower face of the valve element 5. Valve element 5 is accordinglytilted upwardly, opening the valve to downward water flow in the mannerindicated by the arrows in FIG. 6.

What is claimed is:

1. In an animal operated watering device, the combination of body meansdefining a through passage having an inlet end and an outlet end, thebody means being adapted to be secured to a hollow water supply memberwith said inlet end communicating with the interior of the water supplymember and said through passage extending vertically,

an intermediate portion of said body means defining a transverse annularvalve seat which faces toward said inlet end,

the portion of said body means between said valve seat and said outletend defining a first portion of said through passage adjacent said seatand a second portion of said through passage which extends from saidfirst passage portion toward said outlet end, said first passage portionbeing of larger transverse dimension than said second passage portionand said first and second passage portions joining at a transverseannular shoulder which faces toward said inlet end;

a movable valve operating member having an en larged head portionlocated in said first passage portion and a stem portion extendingthrough said second passage portion and projecting beyond said outletend, the axial dimension of said head portion not exceeding the axiallength of said first passage portion, and the transverse dimension ofsaid head portion being smaller than that of said first passage portion,there being an annular space between said operating member and thesurround ing wall of said through passage through which water can flowwhen said head portion of said operating member is displaced from saidshoulder; a freely movable valve element in the form of a thin flat discof polymeric material located in said through passage adjacent saidseat, said disc extending completely across the opening defined by saidseat; tubular restrictor means located in said through passage adjacentsaid inlet end thereof, said restrictor means defining; an aperturewhich is axially aligned with the opening defined by said seat; and amovable member located in the portion of said through passage betweensaid valve element and said inlet end, said last-mentioned movablemember having a head end disposed to engage the side of said discopposite said seat, and a stem projecting through the aperture definedby said restrictor means, there being a small clearance between the stemof the last mentioned movable member and the wall of said aperture. 2. Awatering device according to claim 1, wherein said head end of saidlast-mentioned movable member is enlarged and said tubular restrictormeans and said last-mentioned movable member have cooperating stopsurfaces to limit movement of said last-mentioned movable member awayfrom said valve element. 3. A watering device according to claim 1,wherein said intermediate portion of said body means is of metal, andsaid disc is-of elastomeric material. 4. A watering device according toclaim 1, wherein said body means is formed as a single piece of rigidpolymeric material, said intermediate portion being integral therewith,and

said disc is of elastomeric material.

1. In an animal operated watering device, the combination of body meansdefining a through passage having an inlet end and an outlet end, thebody means being adapted to be secured to a hollow water supply memberwith said inlet end communicating with the interior of the water supplymember and said through passage extending vertically, an intermediateportion of said body means defining a transverse annular valve seatwhich faces toward said inlet end, the portion of said body meansbetween said valve seat and said outlet end defining a first portion ofsaid through passage adjacent said seat and a second portion of saidthrough passage which extends from said first passage portion towardsaid outlet end, said first passage portion being of larger transversedimension than said second passage portion and said first and secondpassage portions joining at a transverse annular shoulder which facestoward said inlet end; a movable valve operating member having anenlarged head portion located in said first passage portion and a stemportion extending through said second passage portion and projectingbeyond said outlet end, the axial dimension of said head portion notexceeding the axiAl length of said first passage portion, and thetransverse dimension of said head portion being smaller than that ofsaid first passage portion, there being an annular space between saidoperating member and the surrounding wall of said through passagethrough which water can flow when said head portion of said operatingmember is displaced from said shoulder; a freely movable valve elementin the form of a thin flat disc of polymeric material located in saidthrough passage adjacent said seat, said disc extending completelyacross the opening defined by said seat; tubular restrictor meanslocated in said through passage adjacent said inlet end thereof, saidrestrictor means defining an aperture which is axially aligned with theopening defined by said seat; and a movable member located in theportion of said through passage between said valve element and saidinlet end, said last-mentioned movable member having a head end disposedto engage the side of said disc opposite said seat, and a stemprojecting through the aperture defined by said restrictor means, therebeing a small clearance between the stem of the last mentioned movablemember and the wall of said aperture.
 2. A watering device according toclaim 1, wherein said head end of said last-mentioned movable member isenlarged and said tubular restrictor means and said last-mentionedmovable member have cooperating stop surfaces to limit movement of saidlast-mentioned movable member away from said valve element.
 3. Awatering device according to claim 1, wherein said intermediate portionof said body means is of metal, and said disc is of elastomericmaterial.
 4. A watering device according to claim 1, wherein said bodymeans is formed as a single piece of rigid polymeric material, saidintermediate portion being integral therewith, and said disc is ofelastomeric material.